Stepladder



June 26, 1923.

1,459,918 8. A. MCGAW I STEPLADDER Filed Feb. 20, 1922 mvzm'oa AITRY Patented June 26, 1923.

SIDNEY A. MCGAW, OF FRESNO, CALIFORNIA.

STEPLADDER.

'Application filed February 20, 1922. Serial No. 538,127.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIDNEY A. MCG'AW, a

- citizen of the United States, and resident of Fresno, in the countyof Fresno and the State of California, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Stepladders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved step ladder and more particularly to the novel construction of a brace for holding the steps to the runners.

struction of a brace which dispenses with dadoes in the runners and in the steps thus strengthening the structure over the ordlnary construction, and which holds the steps rigidly to the runners when .the ladder is assembled. Any single ste can be disassembled from the runners o the ladder by removing a clamping rod, and a new step substituted for the one removed without disassembling any other portion of the ladder. Other objects will hereinafter appear.

I accomplish these objects by means of the device hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Figare 1 shows a side view of a ladder constructed with the bracket improvement thereon. Figure 2 shows a front view of a fractional part of the ladder. Figure 3 is a side view of the bracket secured to a ladder. Figure 4 is a front view of the bracket. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the bracket.

In said drawings B and B are the runners of the ladder, and the step is shown as C and the bracket as D. Thebracket D comprises a socket member 2 of such size that an end of step C can readily be inserted therein. One of the longer sides of the socket member is extended to form a rest 3 for the step, and said extension 3 has the outer end portion 4 bent back at an acute angle to form a brace for the step support 3. The hole 5 in the brace 4; is designed for bolting or riveting the brace to the runner to hold the bracket at the desired angle. The brace can be swiveled on the rivet when it is desired to remove a step. The corrugations in the brace 4 are designated as-6, and are solely for the purpose of strengthening the brace. E is a bolt or rod which'extends from one runner to the other directly under each step. The hole 7 in brace 4 permits the rod E to pass through, and the object of rod E is to clamp and hold the assembled steps, braces and runners together. It will be noted that the sockets engage the ends of the steps, keeping the ste from slipping vertically or horizontally, and the rod E clamps the combined step and socket members to the rails of the ladder. The extension of the under wall of the socket forms a support'for the step. As the brace is pivoted to the runner the assembly of the brackets and the step can be swung forward when the rod E is removed and by sli htly sprin in the The object I have accomplished is'the con h b h brackets the step can be removed and a new step inserted. The depending ear 8 is pressed out of the bottom, or support 3 so that it is on the same the socket and fits snug y against the runner of the ladder when the bracket is assembled therewith, and the hole 8 is in line with the hole 7 for rod E to pass through.

It is noted that the steps are not grooved lane as the back of or dadoed but are held in place by the bracket. The braces are preferably made of metal which can be stamped into the shapes desired. a

I claim as new and ask for Letters Patent: 1. In astep ladder having runners and a plurality of steps extending between the .runners, a plurality of step braces, each brace having a socket adapted to receive an end of a step, the under wall of the socket extending beyond the face of the socket, an extension of said under wall being bent at an acute angle backward to the runner, and a portion of said under wall being pressed out so it depends downward in a common plane with the end wall of said socket.

2. A step ladder having runners and a plurality of steps, each step having a step holder at each end, each step holder consisting of a socket adapted to hold an end of a step, the under wall of said socket having 7 an extension beyond the face of the socket, a portion of said extension being bent down ward toward the plane of the back of said socket to form a brace, a portion of the under wall of the socket being bent so that it depends downward from the back of the socket and in acommon plane with said back. forming a depending ear, and a tie rod extending through the depending ear and the brace adjacent to the under wall of the socket. said rod being adapted by screw means to clamp.

the step endwise within the sockets, substantially as described. V

SIDNEY A. MOGAW. 

